Snap Inc. has heard the cries from unhappy users as the company said Wednesday it knows the new Snapchat redesign is “uncomfortable for many.” But don’t expect it to change back anytime soon.
A Change.org petition calling for Snapchat to revert back to its classic look has racked up more than 1.2 million signatures. Many of the new features, the petition argues, are “useless or defeats the original purposes Snapchat has had for the past years.”
Snap responded to the petition on Wednesday, saying, “We hear you, and appreciate that you took the time to let us know how you feel.”
The redesign is aimed to make the popular app “easier to use,” as CEO Evan Spiegel put it, by creating a starker separation between content from friends and publishers in its Discover tab. But instead of making it easier to use, many longtime Snapchatters have said the facelift is confusing and makes it harder to view Stories from their friends. Snap wants its confused users to stick with it through the growing pains so the app “will adapt to you.”
“By putting everything from your friends in one place, our goal was to make it easier to connect with the people you care about most,” said Snap in its reply. “The new Friends page will adapt to you and get smarter over time, reflecting who you’re most likely to be Snapping with at that moment. This same personalization is also true of the new Discover, which will adapt to you the more that you use it.”
Snap added an update will soon simplify following the Stories users want to see. “Once you receive the update, you’ll be able to sort things like Stories, Group Chats, and Subscriptions, allowing you to further customize your own experience on the app.”